Posted on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 12:14 p.m.
Michigan kicks 15,000 families off welfare
By Cindy Heflin
Michigan has kicked more people off welfare than anticipated as a result of an aggressive welfare reform effort, Bridge Magazine reported.
How those approximately 15,000 families are faring is unclear, the magazine said. The state is not tracking them.
Bridge Magazine and Michigan Radio are following families who have lost cash assistance as a result of the reforms, instituted in October. In a yearlong series, the news organizations also are assessing the economic impact of reform on state government and nonprofit charities.
Bridge Magazine is an online publication of the Center for Michigan, a nonprofit think tank founded by former newspaper publisher and University of Michigan Regent Phil Power.
Comments
Diane
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 9:03 p.m.
There have been families on welfare for years. Sure if you need it for maybe two years @ the most fine. In Northern MI some of the kids in school can't wait to get on welfare, just like their parents. That's pretty sad. It's the same people over & over & THAT IS NOT RIGHT.
RayA2
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 5:27 p.m.
As Mitt and the rest of his party of the 0.01% have said so clearly, Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses? Aren't the poor laws in force?
Townie
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 3:28 p.m.
How about what we're spending 'helping businesses create jobs'? Let's see: $1,800,000,000 Tax cuts for businesses (that creates a state deficit that the rest of us have to pay) 95,000 Number of businesses receiving the cuts $18,947.37 Average per business No requirements on the businesses, no reporting of jobs created, etc. Nice deal.
tntnewport
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 11:42 a.m.
Welfare, was never meant to be a career choice.
Diane
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 9:03 p.m.
Absolutely correct
David Paris
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 1:52 a.m.
"Rep. Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth, who shepherded the reform bill through the Legislature, said that former recipients would "pick up a hammer or a paint brush and man up and feed their family.""-- Bridge Magazine I know one thing. If I were one of those families getting kicked off welfare, my last pocket full of change would go for a one-way bus ride to Frankenmuth, that'd be my new home-base!
Jack
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 9:47 p.m.
I'm kind of surprised at how many people commented without even reading the article. "FIP is funded primarily with federal dollars, but the state paid the tab for families over the federal 60-month lifetime limit, explained Akerly. In December, the latest month for which statistics are available, the state doled out $10 million less in cash assistance than it did in an average month in the year before the reform." $10 mil in one MONTH. Note that that is only for persons who have been on welfare for over five years. Five years is a long time to be on welfare and it does become a learned behavior. With Section 8 housing subsidies, food stamps, free health care, subsidized child care and other services, assitance with home heating, one can see why it might be attractive, and why it has become a way of life for some. Also note that the article says that there has been NO increase in homelessness. Time will tell. Bet not to make assumptions until we know what happens.
Peter
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 6:53 p.m.
Who wants to live in a civilized modern nation with a social safety net that benefits all, even those who don't directly receive assistance? Not me! No sir! I want brutal income equality and a gap between the rich and poor so great we have to invent a bigger word to fit between rich and poor to make sense!
MIKE
Sun, Feb 5, 2012 : 12:58 a.m.
So the whole family can laze around all day instead of looking for work?
Peter
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 8:50 p.m.
You're right, it should be a whole lot bigger than just a hammock!
MIKE
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 7:10 p.m.
A safety net is great. But it shouldn't be a hammock.
genetracy
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 6:40 p.m.
If you receive a welfare check, then you should be required to perform community service in order to receive that check. Sweep streets, clean public restrooms, and pick up trash in parks. Sound demeaning? Then take advantage of adult education cases and free federal job training. Don't want to take advantage of that? Then you get no check.
margo
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 5:28 p.m.
There are NO poor people ONLY MADE POOR BY CONGRESS AND ROMNEY AND GOV>SYNDER...most of the "POOR" are vetreans and military families.THANK YOU UNCLE SAM.....
cinnabar7071
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 7:40 p.m.
So this is abolutely nothing to do with the people themselves? No matter how hard they worked this isn't their fault? WOW You would have been a dream parent when I was growing up, and to think my parents blamed me for my bad grades.
Doug
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 4:28 p.m.
How many of those people dropped out of school or failed to learn a skill or trade? How of the women had children but no husbands to provide for them? How many without marketable skills are looking for $25 an hour jobs ( $52,000 a year )? Now they expect those who worked hard to provide a decent living for themselves to provide for them, also. I will help provide for those who, through no fault of their own, are in need of the help.
Life in Ypsi
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 7:15 a.m.
That may be true some dropped out of school or did not learn a trade. Ever think about many people people who were in special education make up this percentage?
Jaime
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 3:51 p.m.
It just adds to the number of people who don't have money to spend to create the demand for goods which creates jobs.
cinnabar7071
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 7:43 p.m.
We can do with out their help. That also goes both ways, the money that goes to them, is the same money I can no longer spend. So how does that figure in?
Spanky
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 3:01 p.m.
The state could pay to have these families relocated in a state or town were there are jobs. Win/Win Now we just need the president to put in place the ground work for jobs to be created.
Diane
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 9:06 p.m.
Why should WE have to pay for them to recolate? We pay for enough already!!!!!
clownfish
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 5:58 p.m.
The unemployment rate dropped 0.2 percentage points to 8.3 percent; 243,000 new nonfarm jobs were created in the past month.
Stephen
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 2:58 p.m.
the video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO2z-yWBX9s" rel='nofollow'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO2z-yWBX9s</a>
Life in Ypsi
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 2:51 p.m.
I would like to clarify what someone said about welfare recipient's receiving $300 per month. That's simply not true. In Washtenaw County a family with one child gets a grant of $401, a family with 2 children $489 and three children $573. The grants are much lower in other counties. The Work First requirements in Washtenaw County are actually pretty strict with mandating able persons to participate in their program and get a job. The people that were left over on the rolls are people with IQ's 80 or below, have some other type of disability or caring for a disabled household member. Since the newest law change, these people are not exempt from the requirements like they used to be. It's very simple to say "Go get a job at McDonald's" etc, however even those jobs require skills. Jobs like those are very fast paced and stressful. When someone is facing challenges of reading and writing at a 3rd grade level, having a hard time multi tasking or a host of other mental or physical disabilities those jobs are not so easy. Many don't make it past the interview anyways. I'm all for people having to work who can work. For those who have difficulties maintaining employment, I would say more services need to be offered such as childcare, transportation, literacy classes, mentors, etc. We need to have a safety net. There will always be hard to employ or unemployable people. Our system has many gaps when it comes to helping them. Social Security is not as easy to receive as many think and many disabled parents end up turning to welfare to get some income. A welfare check is a lot cheaper than paying for foster care. If families are not able to care for their children we will pay more money when they end up in foster care.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 5:12 p.m.
I have to say that I agree with you 100%. Thank you for posting your thoughts so clearly.
Life in Ypsi
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 2:57 p.m.
*$300 per person. As our society moves more to jobs that require education and jobs that require labor are sent overseas it will become more difficult to employ people. It's one thing to say "Work hard in school", but Michigan did not put a priority on education. It used to be a way of life to drop out of school at 16 and for the Big 3. Michigan has not done an adequate job of changing us from a labor based work force to an education based work force.
Zumba Mami
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 2:35 p.m.
Whoever chose the title for article had to be a bleeding lib. It was meant to make it look as if the government doesn't care about the poor. It is not a matter of being concerned about the very poor, but a matter of making sure that people are not abusing the system, and making sure the funding is there. There isn't an endless pool of money to fund these programs, people!!! Where do you think the funding comes from? The rich government! The government isn't rich. They are funded by our tax dollars paid by the working people, from the very rich to the very poor. I am all for help to those that need it, but let it come from the private sector. There are simply too many people that make living off of the government a lifestyle, as if they are owed something.
clownfish
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 2:29 p.m.
<a href="http://womenslawproject.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/debunking-the-myth-of-the-%E2%80%9Cwelfare-queen%E2%80%9D-who-actually-receives-tanf-benefits/" rel='nofollow'>http://womenslawproject.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/debunking-the-myth-of-the-%E2%80%9Cwelfare-queen%E2%80%9D-who-actually-receives-tanf-benefits/</a>
clownfish
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 2:25 p.m.
Stereotypes and assumptions are no way to govern. Add in a lot of misinformation and it is a worse way to run a state. And that is what I see on these pages. Fraud and abuse are inherent in any large system, but blanket statements and purging of roles is not the right way to handle those forms of waste. As I have written before, if YOU know of people abusing the system, it is YOUR responsibility to report that fraud. Because you are too lazy to report fraud, don't take it out on the people that are not abusing the system and need the assistance.
Jack
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 9:36 p.m.
Reporting often does no good. The assets are often hidden.
russellr
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 2:11 p.m.
Thank you for doing this. I am sick of paying for all these people that won't raise there baby finger to get a job. Please I am a senior and I work and I can't keep supporting the ones that won't work. There are some jobs out there it's just not the job they want or the pay. Well grow up I bust my back every day to work a $8.25 job and I am 55 years old with 2 bulging disk. I have a bone spur in my knee also. If I can go out and get a job so can you. Stop being lazy and gouging the system. Also all you women out there that keeps getting pregnant so you can get more money for welfare shame on you. Stop handing out money to them. I can see one mistake but after that you know how you got pregnant. Planned Parenthood is free if you weren't so lazy to go get the free birth control and use it. You would rather keep getting pregnant because there is more benefits to you. Stop abusing the system, I am fed up with it. Go Rick Snyder and if somebody doesn't stop the abuse we will be saying the last one out of MIchigan please turn out the lights.
ruminator
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 1:59 p.m.
Welfare costs down. Crime rate goes up. Transfer the property lost costs to the insurance companys. Sell more stuff. Insurance companys get to raise the rates. See, the Snyder plan is working!
Jack
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 9:35 p.m.
Actually, that's been proven wrong. The crime rates in the United States are down and have been going down steadily for years, despite the recession.
Jon Wax
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 1:02 p.m.
While it is sad to see people in this situaiton, it is also just the beginning. There are entire GENERATIONS of people who were raised to be on welfare and stay there, accepting it as the normal way of existence. The time has come to break the cycle. Michigan cannot afford to help folks who do not help themselves. And if you think this is bad consider: No matter who wins the election this year, in 2013, the ONLY thing the winning "party" can do is continue to make cuts like these on a much larger scale. Nationally, not just locally. So if seeing these types of events pains you, well... you ain't seen nothin yet. And some of these folks who use welfare "game the system" and should have been off welfare YEARS ago, but none of the political leaders had the stones to do it. Peace
Richard
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 7:46 a.m.
If they posted that statistics that show the average amount of time spent on welfare, the number of children per household, the amount of non-compliance with Work First including TURNING DOWN WORK WHILE HAVING DAYCARE IN PLACE AND PAID BY THE STATE then this debate will be solved one way or another.
Life in Ypsi
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 3:06 p.m.
Noncompliance with Work First will result in removal of benefits. Daycare is not 100 percent paid for. Most providers require daycare costs 2 weeks in advance and require people pay out their pocket until state portions are kicked in. Why? Because the state has been known to take several months to help with daycare and screwed providers out of being paid. Kind of hard for someone on welfare to come up with $125 at least each week until the state kicks in $50. Our system is not as generous as people think. There's also an income limit for daycare help.
reallypeople69
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 1:40 a.m.
I don't look at it as not being concerned for the poor but more as removing a lot of the abusers from the welfare system. I've seen people act proud that they're scamming the system and while they're sitting there in their nice clothes jingeling the keys to their nice car and talking about how nice their return flight was from visiting family in another country....I've had to bite my tongue in order to prevent 'customer unfriendly' things from coming out of my mouth so that I could keep and continue to work really hard at my job only to have a good portion of my check be taken away to assist these very same people. I don't even know how to put into words how I felt last year watching the local news discuss how the casinos were going to make it so that bridge cards could not be used at the ATM machines in the casinos. Seriously! Something needed to change. I know there are people out there that are trying and really are deserving of assistance and I'm not saying that there still aren't some changes that need to be made...but maybe this is where we need to start.
The Black Stallion3
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 9:39 p.m.
Why the uproar? This is why the people elected Mr. Snyder. He is doing what he said he would do, unlike other politicians that have promised change just to get elected and then fell on their face.
firstfolio
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 8:46 p.m.
After work, my co-workers and I have a drink and anticipate your response to any given article. Too much fun. Call us "Bleeding Hearts", but we all have Purple Hearts.
Polecat
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 8:29 p.m.
15,000 is a good start, now how many freeloaders left?
walker101
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 8:25 p.m.
I guess 48 or 60 months isn't long enough for those looking for work? Why don't we just let them hang around for another 48 months and maybe the left will be glad to pay a little more tax for relief?
xmo
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 7:17 p.m.
Isn't it a good thing for people to be off WELFARE? Accepting handouts is SOOO demeaning! Anyone who thinks WELFARE is good is REALLY a SICK PERSON!
Mike
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 10:47 p.m.
There are generations of people who would disagee with you...............
Thaddeus
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 7:37 p.m.
Accept in an economy as bad as this, people who qualify for welfare at least can usually arrange to get/ keep a roof over-head, get to eat, and maybe be able to afford to see a doctor too. Increasingly, while that of a "welfare recipient" is not the life much of any of us would want for ourselves or others, welfare recipients increasingly are faring BETTER than the "middle-class." The "middle-class" which has much higher expenses (such as paying taxes that go to - welfare!) is increasingly without jobs, is forced to burn through decades of savings, pay out-of-pocket for prescriptions, etc, etc, etc.... Too often, by the time the "middle-case" technically may qualify for any kind of assistance that would help them hold-on a bit longer and remain a tax-paying and highly-contributing member of society, they have been relegated to a level of poverty where there's usually no coming back from. By then they have typically already foreclosed, declared bankrupcy, are left without any/ adequate health care, credit, savings, capital, etc, etc, etc....
Joe_Citizen
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 7:05 p.m.
Too Bad, So Sad, get a job, go to school, good day.
cinnabar7071
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 1:39 a.m.
I know Steven all those jobs are demeaning, right?
cinnabar7071
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 1:37 a.m.
Steven you need to look or you wont find a thing. <a href="http://annarbor.craigslist.org/jjj/" rel='nofollow'>http://annarbor.craigslist.org/jjj/</a>
Steven Harper Piziks
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 12:26 a.m.
Sure. There are so many jobs out there. Companies are just =crying= for employees, thanks to all those tax cuts. Why, you just check the paper and there are piles and piles of ads begging for warm bodies. Walk down the street and four or five people offer you work. It's a freakin' madhouse out there! Why, my wife, a highly-skilled, highly-educated woman with a great deal to offer, has been desperately seeking work for months and applied all over the state, and she's had maybe fifteen, twenty job offers. Wait. No, she hasn't. She's had none. Know why? THERE AREN'T ANY JOBS.
cinnabar7071
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 10:02 p.m.
"The people would get a job if there was someone that would hire them." Well pull up your pants, cover that neck tattoo, and learn english.
Thaddeus
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 7:42 p.m.
The people would get a job if there was someone that would hire them. While school is a noble and admirable pursuit, when there are not jobs for the countless millions who already have the degrees, training, and experience, why should a person waste the time and money to go to school....? Too bad that is the reality today. Good day.
Sandy Castle
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 7:04 p.m.
It's interesting that most of the comments here ASSUME that these people were detrimentally affected by this change. If you read the actual article, there are no indicators of that as of yet, although it may be too early to tell. The article also talks about a need for tracking mechanisms to determine whether the change is good or bad.
Steven Harper Piziks
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 12:21 a.m.
I think it would be pretty bad if you lost state assistance and ended up living in a box in an alley.
MIKE
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 11:47 p.m.
I would guess that a great many of them realized that they would have to make a change, and resolved to find a job ASAP.
xmo
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 7:01 p.m.
I am so glad that there is no WELFARE FRAUD! These all must be needy families now forced to eat garbage and dog food because those "mean republicans". I know that no effort was made to insure that only the truly needed remained on the WELFARE ROLLS! What is going to happen to the Democrat party now that 15,000 members are not being fed? Who wrote the title of the article? Jenifer Granholm? MAD Mayor Virg Bernero
Diane
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 9:14 p.m.
What about Bridge Cards that students have ? They certainly don't need them. They're abusing the system.
Sparty
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 5:56 a.m.
Former Gov Granholm ended her two terms and moved to California two years ago. When will the haters let her leave in peace ?
cinnabar7071
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 1:35 a.m.
Steven come on nobody is ending anything, at least not until the 2 1/2 years is up.
Steven Harper Piziks
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 12:20 a.m.
Uh huh. Welfare fraud is such a major problem that we need to end welfare to all recipients rather than hunt down the fraudsters. That's great logic, there. Awesome stuff, dude! I hope no one in your family ever loses their job and needs assistance.
Yeah buddy
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 7:01 p.m.
2 1/2 years is plenty generous for a program that was only meant to be a safety net for temporary hardships. It was never intended for a permanent replacement for a job. Yes some people may be down on their luck for more than 2 1/2 years, but where do you draw the line. If you push it back it will help some people, but it will also perpetuate the continued abuse of the program for the people who genuinely don't want to find a job.
Harry
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 5:53 p.m.
Here you go <a href="http://www.daycareresource.com/michigan.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.daycareresource.com/michigan.html</a> Its called Child Care Subsidy Agency
Harry
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 5:50 p.m.
Stephen The state will pay for daycare for low income. They also give out bus passes. Kind of take away you excuses doesn't it.
Steven Harper Piziks
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 12:19 a.m.
Yeah. It's even harder when a mom with three kids can't find a job that will pay enough to pay for day care. In this state, that's the norm. And then the assistance ends, so they're all on the street. Way to go, Michigan GOP. You're the party of compassion.
Joy Bash
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 7:32 p.m.
To many life time welfare families. They grow up with their mom on welfare then the kids have kids and continue the tradition of staying on welfare. I only feel bad for the kids of these families.
Atticus F.
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 6:54 p.m.
Will this lead to 15,000 empty homes in Michigan? I wish we could organize these people to set up a tent city on the Capital lawn in Lansing.
Steven Harper Piziks
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 12:29 a.m.
You're funny, Mike. What you've described is ten times better than recipients actually get.
Mike
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 10:45 p.m.
Do you realy think y can afford a home on welfare. They most likely get subsidized housing and medical care, child care, plus more. Do you even realie how many programs there are?
Joy Bash
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 7:28 p.m.
Snyder lives in Ann Arbor in one of those gated communities on Geddes. You could have a tent city in Gallop Park. It could hold a lot of tents.
Ron Granger
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 6:28 p.m.
I am glad that Willard Romney is investing his millions in Iran. It shows how much the man truly cares about our economy.
JustMyOpinion
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 1:46 a.m.
So are we going back to speaking about Barack Hussein Obama?
clownfish
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 2:15 p.m.
Actually, US debt is held by many entities. the SS trust fund holds about 19% of our debt, The Fed holds about 11%, China holds 8%, US households (including hedge funds etc) hold about 7%,. foreign debt holdings are about 30% of the total, with the two largest being China and Japan. So, actually, Obama is selling our debt to...us.
cinnabar7071
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 1:32 a.m.
And Obama is selling our Country to China, one loan at a time.
mstairs
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 6:05 p.m.
Is Bridge Magazine a monthly publication for Bridge Card recipients?
Arborcomment
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 2:22 a.m.
A2.com op/ed of 15 January listed Bridge as "non-partisan" and "non-profit". Research into Bridge's leadership and their democratic party backgrounds (one was a Dem US Senate and Campaign Staffer) was commented on in the comments section to that op/ed. I note the "non-partisan" reference to Bridge is not in this article.
Enso
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 6:01 p.m.
Anyone that agrees with this action can't call themselves 'Pro-life.'
Gorc
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 1:12 p.m.
That's just silly
Jon Saalberg
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 5:29 p.m.
Congratulations, GOP, and with your leader Rick Snyder - you did it - you've rained more misery on thousands of residents who can least afford to suffer more misery. Hope you think a little about these people while you enjoy your upper-income live styles. But then again, as Romney said, I guess your party doesn't really concern itself with the poor.
Stephen
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 2:57 p.m.
The video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO2z-yWBX9s" rel='nofollow'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO2z-yWBX9s</a>
InsaneGeek
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 9:50 p.m.
@Enso / Joe_Citizen Welfare at $300/month/person = $1200 /month = $14,400 / year $7.5/hr home is $300/week * 52 weeks = $15,600 / year Looks like on welfare a 4x person household are already surviving on an income pretty much equivalent to a $7.5 /hr job after usual taxes, etc. Even if they are equal in pay at the end of the month, there is a huge value for the state & country as a whole for these people to be contributing even small amounts rather than taking from social security, welfare, etc. The only way these social programs are to be maintained is if the number on them is limited. The absolute worst thing is for someone to receive benefits when they could be contributing back to the system even small amounts simply because there is little difference between the two. Just think $14,400 per year for each of these people added back into the system. I'd love to see a situation where welfare could actually pay *more* to people in need rather than $300, the *only* way as a country we can sustainably do that is by reducing the number of people. Covering larger and larger quantities of people means that everybody has to take less, a million dollars monthly spread out between a million people is $1 per, spread between a thousand people is $1000 per; between the two only one really is helping.
Enso
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 6:03 p.m.
@ Harry, that's good for your son. Now put him out on his own and see if he can survive on that.
Joe_Citizen
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 5:55 p.m.
Harry, it's 300 per person, so a mom and three kids, at $300 x 4 = 1200.
Harry
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 5:50 p.m.
Whats your solution for somebody who refuses to find a job after 2 1/2 years. My 17 year old son has a job making $7.5 and he is not even out of high school. Thats $300 a week full time. Thats the minimum they would make. Welfare only pays $300 per month.
hank
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 5:25 p.m.
Romney said ,"I'm not worried about the poor,they have a good safety net system in place." Maybe he should call the 15,000 people and get their take on this.
InsaneGeek
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 1:23 p.m.
Are you sure you want to play that type of game do you? You really don't think I can find part of a quote from Obama to take out of context by leaving half of it on the floor? Really? I find it interesting that you *intentionally* left off the other part of his quote that changes the whole meaning that you are trying to apply to it. ROMNEY: I'm not concerned with the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of the America. HOST: You just said said, 'I'm not concerned about the very poor because they have a safety net.' But I think there are a lot of very poor Americans who are struggling who would say, that sounds odd. [...] ROMNEY: The challenge right now — we will hear from the Democrat party the plight of the poor. And there's no question it's not good being poor. And we have a safety net to help those that are very poor, but campaign is focused is on middle-income Americans. My campaign — you can choose where to focus. You can focus on the rich, that's not my focus. You can focus on the very poor, that's not my focus.
clownfish
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 2:08 p.m.
Actually, what Obama said was that ""But we've been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades. We've kind of taken for granted — well, people will want to come here and we aren't out there hungry, selling America and trying to attract new business into America." What Romney said was accurately quoted above. ""I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there." and then wehn questioned further he said "it's not good being poor and we have a safety net to help those that are very poor. " So, there WAS a safety net there, but Rick Snyder and the Christian based GOP in MI decided that the state of MI should not care about 15,000 of it's citizens. Sad.
InsaneGeek
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 11:07 p.m.
I can take words out of context too (it's a fun game rated E for everyone ages 2 to 102) President Obama said that "Americans are lazy." You can't deny he used those words, that is completely and total truth... of course just like you I didn't include the entire statement. <a href="http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/politics/51271866?articlePage=0" rel='nofollow'>http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/politics/51271866?articlePage=0</a>
fjord
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 5:24 p.m.
Like Mitt Romney, Rick Snyder is not concerned about the very poor.
grimmk
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 : 3:05 p.m.
@ Harry - No, we aren't talking college grads. They don't want to hire people with an education anymore. I'm always over qualified because I have a BA. They want someone who will take a pay cut or not even know that they are. Want to be a manager for $8 instead of $12? SURE!
Harry
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 : 1:17 p.m.
The fact is if they would just go to walmart, meijer, mcdonalds they would make 4 times as much as being on welfare. Do tell me there are no jobs. My 17 year old kid found a job in a month. We are not talking about college grads here. Add it up 2 years of unemployement plus 2.5 years of welfare. 4 1/2 years!!! Whats your solution???
Forever27
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 6:26 p.m.
@Harry, I'm glad that you've never had to look for work for more than 2 1/2 years. But, that does not mean that if someone is unemployed for that long that they are lazy or not trying. You assume that if someone takes more than 2 1/2 years to find work they are "lifelong" users of wellfare. that is a complete generalization.
Harry
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 : 5:47 p.m.
What can you do with someone who has 2 1/2 years to find a job? Welfare is only aid. Its not meant to be a life long thing.